Holiday Spirit
by South.for.Winter
Summary: Regina had gone to bed in an empty house, resigned to spend the first holiday since the curse broke - and for ten years before that - alone. But that's not what she finds in the morning. Only days before Christmas, a bit of magic turns the town of Storybrooke upside down, and this time, she has absolutely nothing to do with it.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I've been wanting to do a Christmas EC fic for a looooong time now, and I kept trying to start it, but everything kept getting in the way, and I haven't had much time for writing...at all. But here it is, here it is, here it is, and I'm dancing around the room because I love Christmas, and I love EC, and I love writing, and - for me - doing this story is akin to taking a vacation! AAAAHHH! Reviews would mean the world to me. :)**

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 1

Regina felt herself waking from a deep sleep, realizing slowly the reason for her waking; something had bounced on the bed and she could feel weight shifting even as she lay still. She opened her eyes slowly, everything a bit of a blur in the bright room. As her vision finally cleared, she had to blink a few times in her confusion, trying to process what she was seeing.

There was a toddler on her bed. A girl of two or three was in the center of the bed, sitting up on her knees, grinning at her around a pacifier. She had a halo of sleep-mussed light brown curls and her smile sparkled in her brown eyes as she bounced happily in her purple footy pajamas.

Fighting to find an explanation for what was going on, Regina could only stare back, so when the girl's attention moved off her and to her side, she followed the gaze.

Thoughts of how this young girl had ended up in her room disappeared as she laid eyes on the other side of the bed – or, more properly, the person currently occupying it.

David Nolan was stretching, eyes closed and mouth wide open in a deep yawn.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?!"

David jumped at the sudden loud, but familiar voice and shot to his feet, stumbling as his foot caught in the sheet. He managed to catch his balance, but his head was still spinning. "Regina?"

"Mom?" A girl's voice called from the hall. The door that had been left ajar was pushed open the rest of the way and a girl of about six walked in. "Ellie!" she scolded in her young voice as she caught sight of the girl on the bed. "I told you not to wake mommy and daddy yet! Where's Oliver?"

The toddler – Ellie – had a small look of guilt, but then she grinned and pointed straight down.

There was a giggle and a small head appeared from under the bed, big eyes looking up at David. A boy, the same age as Ellie, crawled out from his hiding spot and pushed himself carefully to his feet, still giggling as he poked his head around the end of the bed to peek at the girl in the doorway.

She huffed an irritated breath, but despite it, there was an obvious tug to the corners of her mouth as she fought a smile.

Regina couldn't stop staring. The girl looked so much like she had as a child – dark hair, dark eyes, olive complexion. It was like looking into a mirror that showed the past. She stood at the entrance to the room, her hair braided carefully down her back, only a few strands out of place after a night against a pillow. She wore a pretty little red and green plaid nightgown with gold trim – obviously Christmas themed – and had a light brown teddy bear tucked carefully under one arm. She let her smile show as she caught Regina watching her and walked over.

"Sorry, mommy. I know you wanted to sleep in." She scrunched her face up in confusion as she looked more closely at her. "You look funny. Are you okay?"

Regina managed a small nod – she wasn't sure what else to do. "I'm fine," she choked out.

"Now that you're up, you and daddy can come see the tree! Henry helped us decorate it last night."

David caught Regina's eye as she looked over at him. The anger that had set in her expression earlier was gone, now replaced with bewilderment, panic, and what he imagined was fear. Though he probably didn't look much different, he realized. The confusion was churning inside him to the point where he was feeling ill.

"Why don't you wake up Henry?" he asked, finally finding his voice. "Give us a minute."

"Okay!" she said brightly, oblivious to the fact that both of her parents still looked deeply troubled. "Come on guys."

Ellie slid over the side of the bed slowly until her feet touched the ground and put her hand in her older sister's outstretched one. Once Oliver had grasped the other, the trio left the room with only a cute wave from Ellie and a quick, "Bring Benji, too!" from the older girl.

When the door shut behind them, the room was engulfed in silence. Neither adult moved or spoke for several seconds. They didn't even look at one another. Regina remained sitting up in bed, watching the door, and David was frozen in his place next to the bed.

Regina looked up when she heard him inhale sharply and she couldn't help but lean back slightly when his intense, angry gaze met hers.

"Regina…What the hell did you do?"


	2. Chapter 2

**These chapters will most likely continue to be shorter than usual for my stories, but it's meant to be light and fun - both for you to read and for me to write - and I'll most likely be publishing close to daily until it's complete. Thanks to all who followed/favorited/reviewed! Writing this is too much fun!**

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 2

Regina blinked at David, temporarily losing the ability to speak. "I…You…You think _I_ did this?"

"Well, what else would explain it? You're the one with magic, and it would be just like you to play some nasty prank like this."

"Yes, because if this were some kind of childish prank, I would immediately go for making you believe we shared children. Actually…" she tapped her chin, smirking a bit "that could be quite an amusing prank. But I didn't," she said, sobering immediately at the situation they'd been thrown into.

"It had to have been you. You magicked those poor children into thinking we were their parents, but it's not funny Regina. Fix this."

"I didn't do anything!" She spat at him. "This isn't me. I don't disagree with you that this has magic written all over it, but I had nothing to do with it. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin…" she mused, staring off into the distance. "No, even he wouldn't go this far."

"Well then, who do you think _would_, because somebody did it, and they need to undo it _now_."

"I don't know. I need to think," she sighed, drawing her knees up and resting her elbows on them as she ran her hands through her hair. "Whoever they are, they had to have been powerful, because these children are our children."

"What do you mean? Of course they're not," David said, sounding completely disgusted. "I never…I would never…"

"That's not what I meant," Regina snapped. "But thank you for that. No…what I _meant_ was that these children aren't from Storybrooke. I know everyone who lives in this town. They were created to be our children. The older girl – she looks just like me, and surely you noticed Oliver's resemblance to you."

"Honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to what they looked like. I was a little more caught up in the fact that I woke up in this house – in bed next to you."

"Yes, I can see how that might distract you."

David ignored the snarky comment and sat heavily on the edge of the bed, earning him a glare from Regina as it bounced. "So what do we do to change it back?"

"I don't even know what spell was used…coming up with a solution without knowing the problem would be virtually impossible." She pressed a palm to her forehead as she thought, but then she shook her head. "There's nothing. We're going to have to figure out who did this or what spell they used if we have any hope of reversing it."

"So we're stuck with it?"

"For now…yes."

"No," he said simply, casually standing back up. "No. I'm not doing it." He said it calmly. "I'm going home to Snow, and when you have a way of putting things back, let me know. The sooner the better. I don't think people would be very receptive to even the_ idea_ that I shared children with the Evil Queen."

He felt a wave of guilt wash over him at the fleeting expression of hurt that crossed her face when he used the title, but he swallowed it back. There was too much happening, and he still felt his head swimming. What about Snow? How was she going to react when he tried to explain what had happened? He was trying desperately to catch up, and he didn't think he could deal with Regina at the same time. After Neverland, he couldn't exactly label them as strictly enemies anymore, but they were nothing near friends.

Just as soon as the expression had appeared, however, it was gone, and Regina's mask slipped back into place. "You can't ignore this, David. Those kids think we're their parents – in a way…we are."

"They're not _real_." he said irritably.

"As long as they're here, they're as real as you and I."

"But they'll disappear as soon as this goes away, won't they? So none of this will matter. They won't remember any of it, because they won't exist anymore."

Regina looked at him incredulously. "They'll remember until then. They're _children_, David. They won't understand. Oh, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to hear this coming from the man who sent his daughter away after she was born." She winced, knowing she'd gone too far and regretting the words instantly, but she still didn't take them back. It was habit.

David clamped a hand over his mouth and pulled it down roughly scrubbing it across his chin and sighing as he finally dropped it back to his side. "You're right," he said, surprising her. "I just…I don't know what to do with this."

Regina leaned back against the headboard. "And you think I do?"

David shook his head. "I'm sorry." Though he still sounded frustrated, his words were sincere. "It wouldn't be fair to leave you alone with this mess. I'm not going to ignore it – I'll help you get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you," Regina said quietly. She looked up at him. "It doesn't seem possible at all, though, does it?"

"Which part?" His expression finally softened. "The children, this situation, or how we're going to deal with it?"

"All of it," she chuckled. "I mean…what could possibly have done this? Who? Why?"

Those were the same questions running through his head, and he kept eye contact with her as they tried to think of something that would bring some sort of sense to it all.

They were startled out of the wordless exchange when the door suddenly burst open to reveal a breathless teenager.

It took a moment, but Regina suddenly gasped. "Henry…" she breathed. "Is that you?"

The grown teenager that was supposed to be her little boy nodded his head and then glanced up, catching sight of David for the first time. He did a double take when he saw the odd pair and the panic already written into his expression intensified.

"Mom…I think I did something bad."


	3. Chapter 3

**Oops. Well, this chapter was begging me to be longer, so I obliged. I managed to finish right before work, but didn't have time to edit. Late night (or morning, really), so sorry about the wait, but this one is more than double the length of the previous two chapters. A few differences from the show you might notice - and I'll attempt to avoid show spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the last few episodes - things in Neverland happened slightly differently (you'll get the gist of it), the twist on Pan's character doesn't exist (at least, I don't think I'll be touching on it), and the thing in the last episode never happened. There. Hopefully appropriately spoiler-avoidy. Thanks for the continued reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! I love you all! :) **

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 3

For a minute, all they could do was stare at Henry and his new appearance. He was several inches taller – not quite David's height, but taller than Regina. His features were strikingly mature, but the eyes and mouth were still his – there was no mistaking that this was a grown Henry. If waking up next to each other and finding three children claiming to be theirs hadn't been complicated enough, this certainly did the trick.

Regina was the first to regain her faculties. She cleared her throat and swiveled on the bed, putting her feet on the floor. "What do you mean, Henry?"

"You are—" he started hesitantly, "…you are _my_ mom, right? I mean…you remember how things are supposed to be?"

Regina nodded slowly. "So you realize that this is different, too?" she asked, trying to fit all the pieces together.

As Henry nodded, David asked, "And you think this is somehow your fault?" He furrowed his brow in confusion. Henry didn't have magic, did he? And anyway, it wouldn't make any sense. There was no reason for it, and creating a family for him and Regina was about as far from Henry as it could get. Henry had always been firmly in camp Snowing – as some of the townspeople had fondly titled them.

"I…I think so." He bit his lip, and for a moment, the confusion and fear in his expression made him appear younger again.

"Why don't you come and sit?" Regina suggested, patting the space next to her. "Tell us what you think happened." She, too, was thoroughly unconvinced that Henry had played any part in it.

Taking her up on the offer, Henry awkwardly crossed the room and sat down. "This is weird," he told her when he had to look down slightly to meet her eyes. "Really, really weird."

His voice was so much deeper, and he looked so grown up. She smiled and put a hand on his cheek. "It certainly is strange," she agreed. "But you're still my little boy."

He blushed, looking down shyly. When the bed dipped again, he looked over to where David had taken a seat on his other side.

"I really did it this time, didn't I?" Henry asked, looking at his grandfather. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

David put a hand on his arm. "It's alright, Henry. I know you didn't do anything."

"But I did," he said miserably.

"Why don't you tell us what it is you think you did," Regina encouraged, putting a comforting hand on his back.

"Yeah, okay. Well, I guess the story kinda starts a while ago."

"You can start wherever you want," David said, smiling. He could see how upset Henry still looked. "We're going to fix this – don't worry."

Henry nodded. "It was after we all got back from Neverland. I guess, really, it started before – while I was still there – but when we were back is when it got worse."

Regina instantly grew concerned, wondering if there was something that had happened to Henry that they didn't know about; some kind of injury or trauma he had suffered at the hands of Pan beyond what he'd described. "What did he do to you?" she asked hurriedly, running her eyes over him as if she'd be able to see what had been done to her son – other than that he was now about seven years older than he'd been the day before. _Was that it?_ She wondered suddenly. "Is it Pan? Did he have something to do with this? If only we'd have killed him sooner, I—"

"No – mom, that's not it," he told her, trying to soothe her. "He didn't do this. And I'm okay, I promise. He didn't hurt me any more than what I told you about."

Her expression relaxed a bit, so Henry continued.

"It's what I was thinking about while I was in Neverland. Peter Pan kept telling me that everyone had abandoned me – how Emma never wanted me, and she gave me away, and about how Neal had never cared, either. He was trying to convince me that I couldn't trust adults because they would all end up leaving me. He said that I'd be better off with him and the Lost Boys, but he forgot that Emma and Neal weren't my real parents."

Regina blinked at him in surprise. She'd never heard Henry refer to Emma as anything other than his 'real mom', so the statement was completely unexpected and caught her off guard. David also sat up a bit, curious to hear what Henry had to say.

"_You_ were." Henry finished simply. "It wasn't Emma and Neal that raised me, it was you. You're my mom, and you never abandoned me. Not once. Not even after_ I_ left _you_." He looked down at her sadly, and she could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, Henry, it wasn't like that. You needed space – and I understood. I'm your mother, and I lied to you. You figured out the truth, and in an attempt to stall the inevitable, I hurt you. I'm so sorry. It was wrong, and I will never forgive myself for it, but there is one thing I want you to know, no matter what: I will never stop loving you, and I promise…I will always be here if you need me."

Henry nodded, leaning over to wrap his arms around her. "I know, mom. That's why I knew Pan was lying. I knew that you and Emma would come find me. I'm sorry, too. I wish I hadn't said all of those things to you before."

She returned the hug fiercely, ignoring how odd it was that her son could now completely engulf her in his arms rather than the other way around. "What do you think this all has to do with what happened?"

"I was already missing you in Neverland - when I was with the Lost Boys, I kept thinking about home. Not the apartment with Emma and Grandpa and Grandma," he said quietly, glancing guiltily at David. "Here – the house with you."

Regina smiled tearfully at him as he allowed her to pull out of his embrace. "You still think of this as home?"

"Of course!" Henry told her. "I know I didn't really show it, but I missed my room and this house, and you. I missed you more every day, and then when I woke up on the ship and you were there, I was so happy! You'd come just like I knew you would. You tucked me in like you used to. But when we got back you went back home without me."

"Oh, Henry," Regina whispered, her voice cracking even at the low volume. She could feel her heart breaking all over again. "I didn't want to. I wanted nothing more than for you to come back home with me, just like it was before everything happened, but everyone agreed that you staying with Emma and your grandparents was best."

"No," he said a bit angrily, looking over at David with his eyes narrowed in accusation. "It was what you and Snow wanted." He swiveled his head back to look at his mom again. "_You_ didn't think it was best."

Regina sighed, reaching out and clasping Henry's hand with hers. "Yes, your grandparents wanted their family back together, but that wasn't the only reason. You're safer when—"

"Mom!" Henry stopped her angrily. "I'm safe with you! I know that you did a lot of bad things before, but you've changed, and I know you'd never hurt me!"

She smiled gently at him. "I'm glad you know that, but that's not what I was going to say. You're safer when you're not a target for hurting me," she finished. "I love you more than anything else in the whole world, and people know that. I was afraid of what some of them might do to you in an effort to hurt me. With Emma, Snow and David, it's not as much of a concern. It reminds people that you're related to them. You'd be in far less danger." She still wondered how this was coming around to explain the world they'd awoken to this morning, but Henry seemed to think it was all relevant, so she allowed him to continue at his own pace.

"Yeah, well I just wanted to come home," he told them both. "And you would be able to protect me, mom. I know you would."

"I'm sorry," David spoke up. "I knew that you missed Regina, but I didn't think you were that unhappy living with us. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings, and I was afraid that you wouldn't let me see mom anymore. Everybody was so worried about everything. You guys avoided talking about mom, and Emma was weird around you guys and she kept talking to me like I was going to freak out. You guys kept treating me differently, too, and I just wanted things to go back to normal. That's why this is all my fault. Because I talked to that woman, and now everything is different."

Regina and David both leaned forward slightly, eyes on Henry.

"What woman?" Regina asked him.

"I don't know," Henry told them both, looking between them. "Emma took me out for ice cream, and then we went to the bookstore, and when Emma went to the bathroom, this woman came by. She was really nice. She asked me why I looked so sad, and I told her about missing my mom and wanting things to be different. She smiled and said it was almost Christmas, and magical things could happen at Christmas, and then she asked me what my greatest Christmas wish would be."

"And…" David pressed, at the edge of his seat. "What did you tell her?" Normally, something as simple as telling someone a wish wouldn't do anything, but in the town of Storybrooke – especially after the return of magic – the outcome was unpredictable. He wondered if the mysterious woman was, in fact, the source of the magical changes. And he was dying to know what wish of Henry's could possibly lead to him sharing children with Regina 'the Evil Queen' Mills.

"Well..." Henry twisted awkwardly in his place. "I told her I wanted for everyone to find a way to be happy and to get along. I wanted people to move on from everything that had happened. I wanted everyone to see that they could all have what they wanted if they'd just talk to each other. Mom was gonna be alone for Christmas, and you and Snow are always fighting about you getting poisoned, and Emma's avoiding everyone, and I just wanted everything to be better. I didn't think anything would happen if I told her. I didn't know she had magic or anything like that. "

Both David and Regina remained in a puzzled silence, wondering how the admission could lead to the two of them together…with children and a grown Henry.

"Mom! Dad! Henry! Where arrre you?!" came a distant whine. "Hurry up!"

They all jumped and Henry grimaced. "Coming, Izzy!" he hollered back, startling the two adults.

"Her name's Izzy?" David asked, to which Henry shrugged.

"I guess so. That's what the two little kids were calling her. Maybe I should go down there. Hey," he said, starting toward the door, but stopping again only part way. "Did you…did you wake up here, too?" he asked David, and when his grandfather nodded, Henry paled. "So does that mean…like – you're married now and those are your kids?"

Both of them suddenly glanced down, and sure enough, there was a diamond glittering on Regina's ring finger, having gone completely unnoticed until that moment. Similarly, a gold band wrapped around David's and the pair glanced at each other, fumbling for words.

"Weird," Henry said before either of them could form a sentence. "Oh this is _weird_, weird, weird!" He was grimacing again, shaking his head, but just before he disappeared out the door, he turned back one last time. "Hey, I almost forgot…they said something about you guys bringing Benji. Do you think that means we have a dog?" Despite how utterly bizarre everything was, his expression brightened at the idea, and a smile replaced the slightly horrified expression he'd been wearing. He nearly bounced out of the room after that.

"I guess we'd better find this dog and get down there, too," David said in a daze, beginning to look around the room. He turned to find Regina peeking under the bed. She shook her head at him when she stood straight again.

"Maybe in the bathroom?" she suggested.

They both froze when a cry rang out in the room. Regina turned slowly and walked to the source of the sound, picking it up and staring at it as if she didn't believe it was real. The rings hadn't been the only items to go unnoticed in the chaos of the morning. Both of them had failed to spot the blatant evidence of another presence in the household sitting right in the center of the nightstand – a baby monitor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the continued support on this story! This chapter's a bit heavier on the fluff, but I think I'm still grounded. I want it to feel somewhat real even though it's purely for holiday happiness. Hope all of you are having a wonderful December! **

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 4

Regina still held the baby monitor in her hand as she walked to the door. David found himself moving after her on autopilot, following as she left the room and made her way down the hall. It was only a few doors down before they heard the crying coming through more than just the monitor. Regina switched it off as she pushed open the door and they were greeted with the sight of a baby sitting up in his crib. He was turned their direction, red-raced and crying loudly. It didn't take more than a second for Regina to step into the room, setting the baby monitor on a dresser as she passed, heading straight for the crib.

As she drew closer, his cries softened, and his face began to return to its normal shade. He looked up at her through teary eyes and hiccupped a few last cries.

"Hello," she said softly as he pulled himself to his feet, holding tightly to the bars of his crib. "Were you feeling left out?" she cooed, reaching down and pulling him out. She braced him on her hip as she started to sway back and forth soothingly and he reached up with one of his hands to touch her face, smiling at her. "To be honest, we didn't even know you were here," she told him, smiling back, "but we do now."

David watched, somewhat in a daze, as Regina bounced the child on her hip, his tears completely dissipating. He'd seen Regina with Henry, but never with a small child, and he almost couldn't believe he was looking at the same woman known as the Evil Queen. Being in a coma, he'd missed seeing her with baby Henry, and he'd never imagined she'd be good with children. Even seeing her now, he had a hard time reconciling her with the woman he'd built her up to be in his head. He knew she loved Henry, but he'd been able to wall that off in his mind and ignore it. It wasn't as if he was looking for reasons to like Regina Mills. He tried to tolerate her for Henry's sake, but beyond that, he had no interest in associating with the woman who'd made his life a living hell from the moment he'd decided to be with Snow. Finding his voice – and his feet – he moved closer to look at the small child who was supposedly his.

"He's named after a dog?" was the question that escaped him. He heard how dumb he sounded, but he was still in shock.

"It must just be a nickname the other children gave him," Regina said, lifting the boy from her hip and holding him out in front of her. "Your name is Benjamin, isn't it?" she asked softly.

The boy giggled and gave the air a few bouncing kicks.

"I always thought if I somehow ever had another son, I'd name him Benjamin," she said.

With her back still to him, David gave Regina a strange look. It was odd seeing such an extreme maternal side to her. She placed him back on her hip, whispering softly to him as she swayed and studied him with a warmth in her expression he'd only seen a very select few times when she looked at Henry. It was like sunshine, and he couldn't quite look away from it.

"Mommy! Daddy! Come onnnn!"

Regina, nearly unfazed this time, softly traced the bridge of Benjamin's nose. "What do you think? Should we go see the tree?" When he giggled again, she nodded. "Good idea."

She turned toward David and stopped in her tracks – she'd almost completely forgotten his existence. Wiping the surprised expression from her face, she sidestepped him, ignoring the awkwardness of the moment.

David kept his distance as he followed along behind her. They descended the staircase, and he had a hard time taking his eyes off the child that was holding tightly to Regina. He was adorable – that much was undeniable. His eyes darted around the room as he gurgled happily, perfectly content now that he wasn't alone in his nursery.

When they rounded the wall to the living room, Izzy jumped forward.

"You have to close your eyes so Henry can turn on the lights."

Regina did as she was told. Sighing, David followed suit. He felt a tiny hand slip into his and pull him forward. "Daddy, come," a small voice commanded him, and he allowed himself to be led a few more steps into the room. "Next to mommy." He wasn't sure which child it was, but by the sound of it, it was most likely the boy – Oliver.

There were a few seconds filled with giggling and small shuffling feet, but then Izzy said, "Okay. You can open them now."

The pair opened their eyes and Regina immediately smiled. She recognized several of the decorations as ones that she and Henry had picked out together, but there were several new ones added to it. Mixed in with the ones Henry had made himself at school were many more that looked carefully put together by young hands. There were red, green, silver and gold ball ornaments brightly reflecting the white light strands wrapping around the tree, and a glittering green ribbon circled it from top to bottom, along with a thin gold-beaded garland. A simple but beautiful star topped it all, and even David was impressed with the sight.

Henry stood awkwardly next to the three grinning children as they waited for their parents to say something.

"It's gorgeous," Regina finally said. "It looks wonderful." Her eyes flitted down to where her elbow accidentally brushed against David's as she readjusted Benjamin on her hip.

Glancing down at the contact as well, he crossed his arms, holding them out of the way. "Umm, yes. Great job," he added.

"I did this one," Ellie said proudly, pointing to a small glass ball toward the bottom of the tree. "And Oliver did this one." She pointed at one right next to it, and the boy nodded his head, grinning.

David almost didn't understand her as she slurred the words in her excitement and child speech. Emma had been gone from his life long before she'd ever spoken her first word, and he hadn't had much time around children as David Nolan, either. He felt awkward and out of place. These weren't his children, but they were, and he still couldn't wrap his head around it, so when Ellie walked right up to him and held up her arms, he didn't know quite what to do. He was a father – had been for twenty-eight years – but he'd never had the chance to be a dad.

Carefully, and feeling very unsure, he reached down and picked her up. Once she'd wrapped an arm around his neck, she leaned in, cupping her other hand around her mouth as she loudly whispered, "I made an orment for you!"

He pulled back to look at her, and suddenly he felt it; that immediate connection you feel with your child when you first find out about them – when you hold them in your arms and look into their eyes for the first time. Ellie was his. Regina had been right; more than just feeling it, he could see it now, too. She looked so much the way he had, and yet different. Her features were softer, her skin and hair a slightly darker shade, and when he looked into her eyes, he saw Regina, clear as day. But these eyes – rather than closing off to him and glinting with cold fury – blinked at him with bright innocence. He lost himself looking at her.

"Daddy!" she laughed. "You silly." She patted his face with her little hands and then reached out, stretching to point across the room. "Over there."

He blinked out of his stare, shaking his head a bit before looking back at her. "I am being silly, aren't I? Where's your ornament?" he asked, walking up to the tree.

"Here." She reached out, touching one of the silver glass ornaments. Up close, David could see that it had been painted with red glitter. There were squiggly lines all over it, along with the very rough shape of a smiley face. "It says, 'for daddy,' and I put our smiles."

"I love it," David told her. "How did you get it all the way up here? You didn't climb the tree, did you?" he teased.

She giggled. "Noooo. Henry did it!"

"I made Mommy one!" Oliver piped up. "But you hang it, Mommy." He carefully carried it over to her in both hands and held it up over his head in his palms.

Regina carefully picked the ornament up by its hanger.

"Red is for apples and blue is your favorite!" he said happily, and she smiled tearfully at the shiny red ornament covered in messy blue glitter.

"Thank you, Oliver," she said. She placed it opposite Ellie's and then bent down, sitting on her heels while still balancing the baby on her side. "Come here." She opened up her free arm and hugged the adorable boy as he pushed into her side. She kissed his forehead before she let go and pushed herself to her feet again.

"You already saw my ornament when I brought it home," Izzy said, "so I made you a picture instead."

She held up a large piece of paper and David took it from her, looking at the carefully drawn Christmas tree. There were seven roughly drawn figures standing next to it. "That's you and Mommy, and Mommy's holding Benji, and that's Henry and me and Ellie and Oliver," she explained, pointing out each person. "See?"

"I do." His eye caught on the scrawling writing across the bottom. It said, 'To: Mommy and Daddy, From: Isabella.'

"Isabella…" he said thoughtfully, and Regina took a step closer to look over at the drawing. "This is perfect."

"It looks just like us," Regina agreed as the girl beamed.

A ringing phone cut through the odd family moment, and after Regina and David seemed to have frozen, Isabella looked up at them. "Daddy, your phone is ringing."

"Yeah…I'd uhh…I'd better get that."

He set Ellie down on her feet and moved quickly to the source of the ringing; the kitchen. He found a phone on the counter; his phone, apparently. He didn't recognize it, but he definitely recognized the name flashing across the screen. "Emma?" he answered.

"David?"

"Yeah."

"Oh thank god!" she rushed. The next few sentences were jumbled together, and as he tried to decipher what she was saying, he looked up and met the eye of Regina, who stood alertly in the kitchen doorway, listening in.

"Emma, Emma, slow down, I can't understand a word you're saying."

There was a heavy breath on the other end, and then she started again, slowing down her words, though they were still infused with panic. "Something's going on, and I can't find Henry or Mary Margaret. Her cell's disconnected, and David…there's a…Neal's…I can't…ahh, this is impossible!" she yelled. "Can you just meet me?"

David nodded his head dumbly before realizing that she couldn't actually see him. "Of course. Where?"

"Granny's."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

She didn't even give him an acknowledgment as she disconnected the call, and his stomach twisted into knots. What had happened to Snow?


	5. Chapter 5

**Longer wait, but longer chapter. I'm celebrating today because I love the holidays, but not the craziness that results, and it's finally behind us. Also, I'm caught up on open orders for my Etsy store, the theater has slowed down, and I scheduled THE appointment to have my braces removed. YES! 'The one with the braces' will no longer be my identifier at work when customers are looking for me. That's right - I wear a name badge, and it will finally be used! :) 2013 is behind us! For me, a bad, bad, bad year full of badness with tiny patches of awesome that I can't even describe. My New Years resolution this year is for it simply not to suck. Things are looking up! This chapter isn't as fluffy, but should still make you smile once or twice. Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! I will never tire of saying thank you, thank you, thank you! They are forever appreciated!**

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 5

David went to put his phone in his pocket, but looked down in irritation when he couldn't find one – he was still wearing pajamas.

"Damn it," he cursed. "I need clothes."

"What's going on?" Regina asked as he brushed past her, heading for the stairs.

"Something's wrong – Emma doesn't know where Snow is. I'm going out."

Regina started to follow him up, but felt a tug on her leg as small arms wrapped around them. Looking down, she found Ellie staring up at her. "Where's daddy going?" she asked.

"He has something important to do," she told the toddler, not able to bring herself to use the word Daddy in reference to David. She could accept these children - had already accepted them - but thinking of David as their father was still too much. "He'll be back." She hoped. She frowned at the thought that she actually wanted David to return, but five children was a handful, especially when she was only used to caring for one. "Let's go find your brother," she said, extending her hand. The girl latched on easily, allowing Regina to lead her back to the living room.

"Mom?" Henry asked, coming over to her. "Where's David?"

"He's upstairs changing. Emma called and he's going to meet her."

"I should go, too," he decided, moving toward the stairs, but Regina released Ellie's hand and caught his wrist, shaking her head.

"I think it would be best if you stayed here."

"But...wait...why?" He'd noticed her expression and suddenly understood that something was wrong. "What's happening? Is everybody okay?"

"Everything will be fine, but I need your help here, Henry."

"This is my fault!" he cried. "Everything that's happening is because of that stupid wish I made. I should never have opened my mouth. I want to go with David and help. It's my job to fix this."

"Henry..." she said softly, and sighed, feeling the weight of everything starting to settle on her, "There is nothing you can do right now. Except hold your brother for me so I can go talk to David. And look after the other three for just a minute."

They looked at each other then, realizing how absurd it all sounded. And Regina wasn't fond of the idea of leaving an eleven year old in charge of four young children for even a few seconds, regardless of the age of the body he was trapped in. But she was starting to feel trapped as well, and she needed to take a second. "Please?" she added. "It's just for a minute."

He finally nodded and reached out awkwardly to take Benjamin from her.

"Put your hand under him like this," Regina instructed, showing him how to hold the baby and making sure he had a good hold on him before letting go. "There. Just like that."

"This is so weird," Henry said, repeating the words from earlier. He looked at Benjamin. "He looks like you guys. You and David, I mean."

"I know," Regina nodded, her voice sounding a little strained.

"I think I must have wished wrong or something. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But we'll fix it, right? And then grandpa will be with grandma and it'll be like nothing happened, right?"

Regina glanced at where Ellie and Oliver were playing on the floor with Isabella and even though she tried to stop it, the thought hurt her heart. She had to remember that none of this was real. She nodded, smiling tightly at Henry. "Of course. I'll be right back."

With one last glance, she followed after where David had gone. She'd expected to find a whirlwind of activity as David rushed out to meet Emma, but when she knocked softly before pushing open the door, she instead found him standing frozen in the middle of the walk-in closet, still clad in his pajamas. "David?"

"I live here," he said simply.

She moved to join him and found the focus of his current stare; his clothes organized neatly on one side of the closet. "It would appear that way, yes."

"This _can't_ be real," he emphasized. "How could Henry's wish have been so grossly misinterpreted?"

Despite the fact that she agreed with him, she found herself feeling defensive. "Well this is certainly not what I wanted, either," she snapped. "I'm just as stuck as you are." She grew angrier at the fact that he was acting the part of sole victim. "I didn't have anything to do with this, you know - and I didn't ask for it to happen. Like you, I'm eager to fix this, but you don't see me whining and insulting you."

That grabbed his attention and he turned his head to look at her. "I'm not whining!" He defended. "I just don't understand how any of this is possible! And of course you're not complaining - you're getting a family you'd never have otherwise." He regretted the words immediately, and he saw her expression falter a bit, but she held it together and he swallowed back his apology. He needed to keep perspective. "You don't seem too eager to me. Seems more like you enjoy what's happening."

"I'm plenty eager," she said, her expression darkening. "The sooner we fix this, the better." In that, she was being honest. She was already attached to the children, and she'd only spent a few minutes with them. She could only imagine how much she could grow to love them if she spent much time with them, and that would only make it more painful when it ended. She didn't think she'd be able to distance herself from them - they were innocent children, just as she'd explained to David - but she was going to have to be more careful about being around them.

"It didn't look that way earlier," David told her skeptically. "I saw the way you were looking at Benjamin."

"Yes, the way you were looking at Ellie," she shot back.

They both stewed in silence, angry with each other, with the situation, and that they weren't able to do something about it.

"I have to go," David said.

"Fine with me."

"I need to change."

"Whatever." She slammed the door to the closet as she moved out into the bedroom. She bit her lip for a moment, not wanting to ask the question, but after a moment of deliberation, deciding she needed the answer about the same as she knew it would hurt her pride. "Are you coming back?" she asked loudly enough to be heard through the door.

There was only the sound of rustling clothes for a minute, and then the door opened, revealing a fully dressed David. "What?"

"When you..." she waved her hand, "When you find Snow or whatever...will you come back so that we can work this out and find a solution?" He was staring at her and she felt self-conscious, so she continued. "I don't think I can look after five kids _and_ solve this, and the sooner I can do that, the sooner we'll be done with all of this."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can watch them when you need it. When I find Snow, I'll..." he scrubbed a hand across his face. "Well, I'll tell her something. She's going to hate this as much as I do, but she'd help children no matter what. I'm sure she'd agree to taking them in and..." but he trailed off as he caught the expression on Regina's face - murderous - and he replayed the words in his head, realizing how they sounded; she couldn't be trusted with children and they'd be doing a charity taking them into their house to get them away from Regina. He cursed inwardly at his complete lack of tact thus far, and this time, felt the need to say something. "Regina, I-"

"I'll be fine on my own," she said, her tone dangerously low. "You go find Snow and Emma, and don't worry about coming back. You'll get what you wanted. I'll let you know when I find something."

"Regina-"

"You should go now." Her tone left no room for argument, and he immediately recognized the woman in front of him; this was more like the Evil Queen he'd known in the Enchanted Forest. He'd said the wrong thing one too many times that morning, and she'd run out of patience. He wasn't afraid of her, but he recognized that saying anything more at this point would do nothing to help - it would only make the already bad situation worse, and he had to think about the children he was leaving with her. She wouldn't hurt them - he was almost positive about that, but he knew she wouldn't be pleasant to be around if he darkened her mood any further.

Nodding, he brushed past her and left without a word.

"David!" Henry called, hurrying down the path after him, Benjamin still in his arms. David didn't stop until he'd reached the street, looking for his truck, but it wasn't there. In fact, he realized, he didn't even have keys.

"What?" he snapped, spinning on his heel to face him. His face softened as Henry took a small step back. "I'm sorry Henry, I just...This has been quite the morning."

Henry opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally being able to speak, and the sudden watery shine in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. "I'm really, really sorry," he said miserably.

Benjamin seemed to pick up on the change in the atmosphere and let out a small whimper, his eyes tearing up and his face starting to crumple and redden. He put a balled hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes as he finally let out a wail.

Henry tensed immediately, looking at David in absolute panic. "What do I do?"

"Here," David said, reaching for the baby, and Henry eagerly handed him over.

"I'm sorry," David sighed, bouncing Ben and rubbing his back. "I'm sorry, buddy. Everything's alright." As the child's crying ceased, David wished it were all as simple as saying everything was fine. He looked over to the other hurt child. "Henry, stop blaming yourself. I don't blame you; your mom doesn't blame you. We know you didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Henry nodded, but didn't look any better about any of it.

"Come here." David pulled him in with his free arm, hugging him tightly and giving his back a firm pat. "It's going to be okay." He felt Henry nodding, and deciding to lighten the mood, he chuckled. "You know, you're almost as tall as I am now."

Henry let out a small laugh. "Everything looks really small now. Even mom. I never noticed how much shorter she was than everyone else."

Letting him go, David gave his shoulder a nudge. "Your mom will have this figured out in no time, just you wait. Now..." he looked around the street. "I just have to find my truck. First we'd better get this little guy back inside," he said, looking down at Ben. "It's freezing out here and he's not bundled up." As they walked back to the house together, David glanced over at Henry again. "I know you want to come with me, but I need you here. Regina can't look after these kids on her own - she'll need your help."

"Yeah." Henry slouched. "That's what mom said."

"Your mom's right on this one."

"Are you gonna come back?" he asked nervously.

"I'm going to help." It wasn't really an answer, but David didn't want to lie to him - he hadn't decided exactly what he was going to do yet. He wasn't going to abandon the situation all together, but that was as far as he'd gone in the decision making process. He wanted to continue seeing these children, but he was afraid, and the argument that had taken place upstairs reminded him that he was not the only one. Regardless of how he – or Regina, for that matter – felt about it, they were going to have to work together on this, which meant they were now faced with the seemingly impossible task of making something work.

David shivered as he closed the door behind them. "It's definitely still December." He was still holding Ben tightly against him, sheltering him from the brisk winter air, and as he began the search for his keys, he rubbed his back, making sure he warmed up from the few minutes outside.

"I thought you left."

David turned to look at Regina, standing in the foyer staring down at him.

"I have to find my keys."

Coming down the few steps, she wordlessly pulled out the drawer in the small table by the door. He stepped closer and leaned over, seeing a pile of car keys. There were two sets definitely not belonging to his truck, and he suddenly wondered if he even had it now, but then he spotted the familiar keyring tucked under one of the other sets. Pulling it out, he glanced at Regina. "Thanks."

She nodded. "You're going to be late."

He started a bit, realizing that with all of the distractions, his ten minutes was probably more than up, and he needed to get going. He put his hand on the doorknob, but then remembered Ben. Turning around, he found Regina a step ahead of him, arms already out to take the baby from him. "Right," he said awkwardly. He couldn't avoid his arm brushing against Regina as he leaned toward her, passing Ben over, and he straightened immediately. "Okay. Bye."

"Bye, Daddy!"

He looked past Regina to where the three children had spoken simultaneously and were waving at him.

"Um. Bye." He smiled at them before hurrying out the door. The first thing he noticed was the van in the driveway and he shivered at the thought of driving such a vehicle – of being domestic in any form with Regina, but then he spotted his truck, and for the first time that morning it was something familiar. He smiled. Emma was going to kill him for keeping her waiting, and he was worried about Snow, but he allowed himself to forget about the events of the morning for a few short minutes in the familiar comfort of his truck.

* * *

He needn't have worried. David arrived at the diner twenty minutes late, but there was no Emma in sight. There were plenty of others, however. In fact, Granny's was unusually packed and full of noise, and once he'd determined his daughter was not among the crowd, he began to notice that the din was the sound of panicked citizens. Tuning in more carefully to the conversations going on around him, he made his way toward an empty corner to wait.

It appeared the Mills' house was not the only that morning to have had its occupants wake to a different life.

"Oh my god, there you are!"

Before David knew what was happening, an obviously frazzled Ruby was pushing him behind the counter and back toward the kitchen. When they'd rounded the corner, blocking them from the curious stares of the diner's occupants, she let go. "What the hell is going on?!"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently. He was beginning to think that whatever Henry had done had affected the whole town, not just the immediate family, and he wasn't about to rat his grandson out.

"This, David!" she cried, holding up her left hand and pointing to it with her right. "Do _you _know anything about any of this?"

He blinked at the ring circling her ring finger and looked up at her. "I'm still playing catch-up," he said lamely. "What exactly is happening?"

"Nobody knows! That's just it. I woke up next to Dr. Whale this morning...Whale! I thought I just got way, way too drunk last night, and he figured the same thing until Granny came to get me to help with the diner because it had exploded with people. Everyone's been using this as the central base for crazy town. The things that are going on are so beyond having a Vegas moment. Some people have kids, David. Like actual, look like them, call them Mommy and Daddy kids. Overnight. It's impossible. I mean, I know magic does things – _crazy_ things – but this seems a little far-fetched even for us, don't you think?"

David nodded a little absently, his mind trying to work out why Henry's wish had affected everyone and wondering how they were ever going to figure it out – especially now that they'd have the whole town breathing down their necks. But he realized that it wasn't to that point yet. No one knew what was going on, and they didn't have to know the exact details…

"What about you?"

"Huh?" he looked up at her, not having heard the question.

"Anything weird happen to you and Snow?"

"Uhhh…"

"Has anyone seen David?"

David breathed a sigh of relief when Emma's loud and desperate question broke through the crowd, keeping him from having to answer Ruby's question.

"Over here," he called back, stepping back out into view. As he moved closer, he noticed her arm was pulled back at an awkward angle and he followed it down, stopping in his tracks when he saw why. A small hand was wrapped tightly around hers, tugging at her arm as they moved through the crowd. A second later, the child attached to the arm appeared and he knew instantly that it was Emma's daughter. She looked four or five with wavy blonde hair past her shoulders. It was clipped back in little pink barrettes, pulling it away from a face that bared a striking resemblance to Emma herself.

"Grandpa!" The girl exclaimed, letting go of Emma's hand and running up to David, wrapping her arms around his middle and hugging him tightly.

He hesitantly returned the hug, keeping his eyes on Emma. "This is your—"

"Yeah, I know," Emma said. "Neal is totally flipping out, so I had to bring her, and she wasn't exactly willing to stay behind anyway, but I—"

"Neal?"

"Yeah…I know." She exhaled heavily, closing her eyes for an extra second. "Believe me, I know. But right now I'm worried about Henry and Mary-Margaret. Neither of them are at the apartment, and their stuff is gone. I don't just mean clothes, I mean everything. The bed, the couch – there are still a few framed pictures of us, but other than that, it's like they never existed!"

"Henry's okay," David told her, immediately feeling guilty. "I should have told you on the phone. He was with me."

Emma's shoulders dropped in relief even as she clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, you should have. I've been completely freaking out!"

"But Mommy," her daughter piped up, "I told you Henr—"

"Yeah, he was at Regina's house, I know. But I needed to know for sure, and _look_ – he was with David instead." Her face softened when she looked down at the girl. "I'm sorry. I was just worried." She bent down when her daughter continued to frown. "I'm really sorry, Olivia. I've had a very weird morning, but it's not your fault, and I shouldn't take it out on you. I'm still worried about Mary Margaret."

"Grandma?" Olivia asked, brightening immediately. "But I know where she is, too!"

"You do?" Emma asked. She cursed herself for not having taken an extra second to listen to the little girl sooner, but Olivia had her full attention now; David's as well.

"Yeah…" she said, looking between them with growing confusion. "She's home."


End file.
